A Perfectly Ordinary Afternoon In February
by Lady Marianne
Summary: It was a perfectly ordinary afternoon in February. Remus and Peter played chess, Sirius snogged a girl and James finally got Evans into a broom closet... Wait, what? Perhaps it wasn't such an ordinary afternoon after all... R&R, please!


**Well, hello, my dear Harry Potter fans... How have you been? I welcome you to my second Marauders's story. I know I said I would (actually, now that I think about it, I believe I said I _might_)write a sequel to 'Realizations', but I lost it... Instead, I came up with this. I hope you enjoy it. **

**Don't forget to review. Compliments, suggestions, flames... they are all welcome!! That's how desperately I want feedback. **

**Declaimer: I own nothing. Niente. Nada. It's sad, but it's true... :'(**

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**A Perfectly Ordinary Afternoon In February**

Base on situations originated by J.K. Rowling

It was a perfectly ordinary afternoon in February in Gryffindor's common room. Some students were doing their homework, some were chatting with their friends. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were playing a match of magic chess while their friend Sirius Black was snogging a girl in a nearby couch. As I said, it was a perfectly ordinary afternoon in February.

The only thing that could've seemed abnormal to some was the fact that James Potter was nowhere to be seen. Though it was true that for the first six years of their magical education he and his friends –the Marauders, as they called themselves– had _always_ been together, that had changed the summer before seventh year, when James got the letter telling him he had been selected to be Head Boy. As a result, he was forced to spend less time around his friends and more time around the Head Girl. Not that he complained, since the Head Girl was none other than the girl James loved: Lily Evans –or, 'Future Mrs. Potter', as James usually called her.

Unfortunately, Ms Evans was less than thrilled by his determination to win her heart. Any girl in her place would have found it adorable that James had filled her room with lilies just to prove his love. But Lily was not like the other girls. It also happened that she was allergic to lilies; something James only learnt when he was visiting her in the hospital wing.

For six years he had tried to change her mind. He had bought her gifts, asked her out on countless occasions and even tried to bribe her. Nothing had worked. When their seventh year arrived and he learnt that he was going to have to work with her since they were both Head Boy and Girl, he was in ecstasy. Having to share a common room with Lily Evans was his idea of heaven. But everything changed when he saw her face. She looked… terrified –to say the least.

In that moment James decided to stop bothering Lily with the never-ending question. He decided to be there, but as a friend. So, for several months now –actually, five months, but who's counting?– he hadn't asked the infamous question once. It was hard, but it had some rewards. The first and most important was that she had started to talk to him in a civilized way. She had first asked him about homework, then she had even dared to talk about Quidditch and then, after a few weeks, they had started to talk about everything. Like real friends. It wasn't what James really wanted, but it was better than what he had known before.

Another benefit that came from it was that his friends no longer rolled their eyes or exited the room whenever he said things like 'I have an idea' or 'I need to talk to you'. In the past, that could only mean one thing: Lily. But not now. As Sirius had once said, giving Evans up was good for James; it rearranged his priorities. Now he could focus on being a prankster rather than the helplessly in love teenager.

Well, back to the perfectly ordinary afternoon in February in Gryffindor's common room. Remus had just commanded his Queen to march towards Peter's Tower when the portrait hole opened and James appeared. He scanned the room, noticed his friends and walked towards them, but he made a quick stop on the couch where Sirius and the girl were. He grabbed his friend by the collar and dragged him to the table where Remus and Peter were sitting.

"Geroff me!" Sirius cried, fighting against James's strong grip. "I'm busy, in case you haven't noticed!"

James didn't say a word. He pushed Sirius down on the couch next to Peter and sat on the table facing them. Remus, who had been left facing his back, quickly got to his feet and went to sit next to his friends.

"Prongs, are you out of your mind? What's your problem?" Sirius asked, rubbing his sore neck.

"I'm deeply sorry about that, Padfoot," James said apologetically. "But something's happened and I need to talk to you about it."

The three boys looked closer at their friend and realized that he looked as if something had indeed happened. His black, longer than normal, hair was messier than it usually was –and that was to say something, since James's hair didn't like to be combed– and his glasses were hanging rather askew. Sirius was the first one to recognize the symptoms.

"Who did you snog?" he asked, a wide smile spread across his handsome face. But James hadn't even opened his mouth when he was talking again. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you got Evans out of your head, Prongsie. She's not the one for you, my friend. I've been trying to tell you that for six and a half years now. Good thing you finally listened!"

"Padfoot's right, Prongs. It's a good thing you finally decided to give up on Evans once and for all. It was never going to happen," Remus commented.

"Yes, Prongs. Your devotion towards her was starting to look… well, it was quite pathetic, to tell you the truth," Peter confessed.

"We are missing the key point here, people," Sirius reminded them. "Who did you snog, Prongs?"

The three friends looked expectantly at James, who was smiling at them. After a few seconds –James was an expert in gaining tension– he said:

"Evans."

"What about Evans?"

"I snogged Evans!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Sirius looked at his two friends –that was, Remus and Peter– and the three of them shook their heads.

"Delusion," he concluded sadly.

"A spell gone wrong?" Remus asked him. "A fever perhaps?"

"Could it be the Bludger that hit his head yesterday during Quidditch practice? Joan told us to keep an eye on him," Peter reminded them.

"It could be," Sirius agreed.

"Guys, I'm not delusional!" James exclaimed, still smiling.

"Sure you're not," Remus said, although it was more than evident from his tone that he didn't believe him. "Listen, why don't we go take a walk? You can tell us all about snogging Evans while we walk."

"Do you want to take me to the infirmary?" James asked, frowning.

"You're sick, Prongs!" Peter cried desperately. "Madam Pomfrey is the only one who can save you!"

"I'm not delusional!" James repeated, this time sounding annoyed. This was not the way he had expected this to go.

"Listen, Prongs, the only way Evans would have agreed to snog you was drugged or under a spell," Sirius alleged. "Did you drug her?"

"No!"

"Did you hex her?"

"No!"

"Did you bribe her? We both know it wouldn't be the first time you tried."

"No."

"Did you threat to kill her pet?" Peter added. "What? He said something about kidnapping her cat once, remember?" he explained when he saw the looked on his friends' faces.

"No, I did not threat to kill her pet, but-"

"Then you didn't snog her!" Sirius reasoned.

"In other words, you're delusional."

"If I hear the word 'delusional' again I may start hexing people," James commented.

"Another sign of poor mental health," Remus remarked.

"Don't worry, Prongs! It's not too late!" Sirius cried, shaking his friend rather violently, causing him to fall on his back on the table. "We'll save you, my friend. Can you hear me? We'll find a way to fix this, Prongs!"

"Sirius, geroff me!" James shouted.

Everyone's eyes were on them by now, but they did not care. All they wanted to do was help their friend, who had evidently lost his mind. James was struggling with all of his might to push Sirius away, but it was hard, considering that Sirius was taller and more muscular than him.

"Sirius, I swear that if you don't move right now, I'll have to kick you. And in case you haven't noticed, my foot is right _there_!" Normally that would be enough to send Sirius running to the other end of the room, but not this time.

"He's even threatening his own friends!" Sirius cried. "Moony, do something!"

"Eh… James?" a girl called.

James immediately stopped struggling and turned to look at the girl.

"Tiger Lily!" he exclaimed, smiling happily.

Lily, however, looked less than happy. Her eyes wandered from Remus, who was looking up at her from behind a very big book; to Peter, who was sitting on the couch looking wide eyed to his friends struggle; to Sirius, who was laying on top of James and to James himself, who was laying under Sirius. It was not the kind of situation any woman would want to find the man she has just snogged for the first time –or any man for the matter.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

"Interrupting?" James repeated. "Merlin, no! Sirius, geroff me!"

Sirius did not move.

"You are a danger for yourself and you could be a danger to us," Sirius held.

"Because I could come back later, you know," Lily assured him. "I just came to give you back your backpack. You left it inthebroomcloset."

Three pairs of eyes turned in her direction.

"Where?" Remus enquired.

Lily took a deep breath. "In the broom closet," she repeated.

"And what were you doing in a broom closet with James?" Peter asked.

"You didn't tell them?" Lily said, addressing James. She looked pleasantly surprised.

"I tried to tell them," James confessed. "They just wouldn't believe me. Why do you think Sirius is lying on top of me? By the way, man, geroff me! It's not funny!"

Sirius reluctantly pulled apart and James got to his feet. He and Lily looked at each other in silence for a little while.

"Well… I must confess I'm quite relieved." She laughed nervously. "Anyway, I came to bring you this back." She handed him his backpack.

"Thanks, Tiger Lily," he replied, shooting her one of his famous smiles. She blushed a little and looked down to her shoe.

"Anyway, I should go back to the common room; I have tons of things to do. I guess I'll see you later?" she asked shyly.

"I'll be right there. I just have to clear some things with the guys."

"Okay. Well, see you!"

"See you, Lils!"

James watched her leave with dopey eyes and then turned to face his friends, this time smiling widely.

"That was…" Peter started to say.

"…Unbelievable!" Remus completed.

"You snogged Evans? You actually snogged Evans?" Sirius asked in disbelief. "_The_ Lily Evans?"

"Yes. And something tells me I'm going to be doing a lot more than snogging her in the future," James commented looking at the portrait hole. "Now, if you excuse me, I believe Lily is waiting for me and I would hate to keep her waiting."

He did a theatrical bow at his friends, turned around and then left. Sirius, Remus and Peter reminded in silence for a while.

"He snogged Evans," Peter said after a while.

"He actually snogged Evans," Remus repeated.

"I call Best Man!" Sirius cried.

"You can't call Best Man," Peter argued. "Besides, how do you know that they'll get married?"

"Wormtail, I can and I just did," Sirius smiled. "And I also call Godfather to their first child."

"See, that's just unfair!"

"Then I'll be the Godfather to their second child," Remus held.

"And what will I be? Godfather to their third child? I don't think so. What if she kills him before they have a third kid?" Peter complained.

"You should have been quicker, Wormtail."

"It's too unfair. I want to be the Godfather to their first child."

"No way, Wormtail!"

"Moony, tell Sirius I should be the Godfather to their first child!"

"Actually, if anyone should be that, it should be me!"

"What? Why?"

"No reason. I just feel like it."

"Sorry, you're late. The position has been taken."

"I'm sure we could work something out…" Remus commented, pulling his wand out. Sirius and Peter immediately did the same.

What started like a perfectly ordinary afternoon in February in Gryffindor's common room, ended in a less than ordinary way. After the fight for James and Lily's first child Godfather position, Sirius was left with a cat's tail, Remus with an eagle's peak and Peter with a rhino's horn.

But the most amazing thing about that perfectly ordinary afternoon in February was that by the end of it, Lily Evans had agreed to go out on a date with James Potter.

It was not such a perfectly ordinary afternoon in February after all.

THE END


End file.
